In Love By Christmas. Cari Lynn Webb
a valid point.” His mother smoothed her hands over her waist and straightened. “Where should I stand?”
Theo owed Mia a bonus. If she hadn’t already returned from her honeymoon last week, he’d have offered to pay for it. He mouthed a silent thank-you to Mia and slipped out.
Twenty minutes later, Theo stopped believing he’d convinced the TV producers that the Taylor family was nothing to showcase on the new series.
Caitlyn, one of the younger producers, who probably considered 80s music ancient, slipped on a pair of trendy reading glasses. The tortoiseshell frames that flared at the temples gave her a cat-woman vibe. “The show needs drama to push it to the next level.”
Theo sat forward in his chair. “You all agreed the design elements speak to the show’s aesthetic.” And protected the brand he’d worked hard to build. A brand that did not include showcasing the shaky foundation—the imperfect side—of the Taylor family.
“It’s still flat.” Cat Woman narrowed her gaze on the slides spread out across the table. “We don’t want the Coast to Coast Living program to be like every other design show on TV.”
“There’s little profit or longevity in that.” Foster, the oldest producer, barely had five years on Theo. But the gentleman always wore a well-tailored suit and bow tie, and was fluent in numbers.
Turning a profit was Theo’s skill. The TV network had assured Theo a TV series would benefit his company’s profit line. Theo intended to hold the network to their word. “So, how do we make the show unique and make a profit?”
“We infuse the show with the Taylors.” Cat Woman grinned, revealing all her very white, very straight teeth. “The real Taylors. For instance, Adriana has had quite the whirlwind romance—one reportedly not without its hiccups.”
Theo folded his hands together and slowly set them on the table, waiting for his abrasive response to stop whiplashing through him. Settled, he stretched his smile wide and lied. “The Taylors are already reflected in the show’s products and room makeovers. We are the brand.”
“Yes. Of course.” Foster adjusted his bow tie. “But audiences like the behind-the-scenes peeks into families like yours. An inside view into your world.”
This time a curse whiplashed through Theo. An inside view—reality—would ruin everything that Theo had built. Reality would prove their brand wasn’t flawless and shrink their profits, not build them up.
After all, the Taylor family hardly lived the lifestyle the Coast to Coast Living brand embodied. The Taylor family was everything the brand was not. And everything Theo had always wished they’d been. He’d built an entire company around his childhood daydreams. From the positive response, customers wanted the same things: witty throw pillows, fast-paced game nights and harmony inside their homes. “I never agreed to a reality TV show.”
“It’s not a reality TV show per se.” Foster fiddled with the end of his bow tie.
“We’ll do preliminary footage here at the offices and around town to help determine the full cast,” Cat Woman purred. “Then meet later this week to review the footage with you.”
“You can set up that meeting with my admin.” Theo stood. “If you’ll excuse me, I have another meeting.”
A meeting with a certain photographer and his mother. He needed his mother off the premises before she gave the producers even more ideas. Or, worse, proved their suspicions correct. Theo walked toward his mother’s office and rubbed his forehead.
He’d transformed his father’s local lifestyle newspaper insert into a national magazine and expanded the brand into over a dozen successful retail stores across the country. Surely he could control one TV series and capitalize on the audience to widen their brand’s reach. And all without succumbing to the usual reality-TV mayhem. He had to.
He’d been pretending his family was perfect, like a sitcom, since he was a child. He’d built a business on those same fabrications, creating an image of the ideal family he’d been deprived of and transforming the Taylor family into a household brand. If he misstepped now, the brand would suffer. But success was all that mattered. All that people wanted from Theo.
Don’t make me regret giving you the family business. The weight of his father’s expectations still snagged into Theo’s shoulders like iron hooks. It was a daily reminder that everything he did was for his family.
Theo stepped into his mother’s office. Only Mia remained. She was sitting on the couch, her feet propped up on the coffee table. Worry seeped through him. “Where’s my mother?”
“She stepped out.” Mia focused on her camera. “And agreed to use the back stairwell to keep from revealing her wedding attire to even more of the employees. She promised to return quickly.”
Theo stuffed his hands in the pockets of his dress pants. He’d give his mother five minutes, then start looking for her. “Sorry about this.”
“Your mother is entertaining.”
Exactly what the producers would love. And exactly what Theo would hate. “She can be.”
Mia changed lenses on her camera. “Adriana told me that she now needs to find a new wedding-dress designer and rearrange all the other details of her wedding, too.”
Theo pressed his arms into his sides, restraining his irritation. How could his mother be so selfish?
Mia shifted her camera and eyed him. “I know a designer.”
Theo studied the photographer. He’d already promised to help his sister. “That’s rather convenient.”
“It is, since you need one willing to work on a tight timeline and meet your sister’s requests.” Mia grinned at him.
Impatience scratched against his neck like an overstarched collar. He wanted Adriana’s wedding over. He wanted his sister—the creative director of Coast to Coast Living—back full-time. He never wanted two brides. At the same time. Theo let his skepticism cut through his tone. “Your dressmaker can do that?”
Mia nodded. “She is up-and-coming.”
“Is she any good?” Theo persisted.
“You’ll find out that she’s fabulous if you give her a chance,” Mia said. “Josie just needs a break.”
How many times had he heard that line? Theo rolled his shoulders, testing to see if he could handle one more person stepping over him to climb their own ladder of success. He hadn’t blamed his past two girlfriends for their dreams. He wouldn’t blame Mia’s dressmaker, either.
“By the way, your mother went to pick out several wedding veils from your sister’s sample collection in the second-floor workroom.” Mia checked the time on her fitness tracker. “She should’ve been back already.”
Theo strode to the door, once again intent on intercepting his mother. He wasn’t certain the TV producers were even out of the building. He glanced back at Mia. “One meeting. Only an hour. I’ll look at your dressmaker’s work. Set it up with Fran.”
Surely he could find a better solution—a designer more qualified than Mia’s friend. After all, an unknown designer could ruin his sister’s perfect dream wedding. That wasn’t a risk he was willing to take.
“I TOLD MOM that Chloe and Connor shouldn’t be in the Christmas play with me.” Seven-year-old Charlotte sat on Josie Beck’s work stool in the back of The Rose Petal Boutique and spun herself in rapid circles. “The twins can’t sit still. Ever.”
The entire Cunningham family couldn’t sit still.
Josie captured a curly-haired little boy around the waist, earned a